1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates systems for retrieving and playing pre-recorded audio data, and more specifically to a method and an apparatus for skipping tracks or playing tracks from discs in a compact disc (CD) player or a digital video disc (DVD) player.
2. Related Art
Many compact disc players allow a user to play a sequence of tracks from one or more compact discs stored in the compact disc player. This sequence can cycle through tracks from the compact disks in a number of ways, including randomly, sequentially or in a pre-specified sequence.
However, a user of a compact disc player often prefers not to listen to certain tracks on certain CDs, because the user finds these tracks unappealing, boring or distasteful. Sony Corporation produces a 200-disc MegaStorage CD changer (model number CDP-CX255) that provides a limited ability to skip certain tracks. The MegaStorage CD changer can be programmed to skip selected tracks of a CD that is located in a particular slot in the MegaStorage CD changer.
This solution is far from optimal because CDs can be moved or removed from the CD changer. For example, suppose a particular CD is placed in the fifth slot in the MegaStorage CD changer and the changer is programmed to skip the third track of the fifth slot. If another CD is placed in the fifth slot, the third track of the CD contained in the fifth slot will be also be skipped. Hence, when a user inserts a new CD into the MegaStorage changer, the user may be forced to reprogram the changer.
The same problem is encountered for users who preprogram a sequence of tracks to be played from a CD changer. For example, suppose a CD changer is programmed to play the third track from a CD that is placed in the fifth slot in the CD changer. If another CD is placed in the fifth slot, the third track of that CD will be played instead of the third track of the original disc. Again, when a user inserts a new CD in the CD changer, the user may be forced to reprogram the changer.
What is needed is a method and an apparatus for skipping tracks on CDs in a CD changer that does not rely on programming the CD changer to skip tracks from specific slots in the CD changer.
Additionally what is needed is a method and an apparatus for programming tracks to be played from CDs in a CD changer that does not rely on programming the CD changer to play tracks from specific slots in the CD changer.
One embodiment of the present invention provides a method for skipping a track on a disc in a disc player. Unlike current methods, this method does not rely on identifying tracks to be skipped based upon which slot a disc is located in. Instead, one embodiment of the present invention identifies discs based upon identification data read from discs in the disc player. Thus, this embodiment of the present invention provides a method for skipping a track on a disc in a disc player that operates by identifying discs contained in the disc player. The method receives track identification data from a track sequencer. The method also reads track identification data for tracks to be skipped from a memory storage device. The method then compares the track identification data for the tracks to be skipped with the track identification data from the track sequencer. If the track identification data for the tracks to be skipped correspond to the track identification data from the track sequencer, the method skips a track specified by the track identification data from the track sequencer. Otherwise, the method plays the track.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides method for playing a track from a disc in a disc player. This method operates by receiving an input specifying a specific track from a specific disc to be played. The method also reads identification information from discs in the disc player, and determines from the identification information if the specific disc is contained in the disc player. If so, the method plays the specific track from the specific disc.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the identifying of discs contained in the disc player includes reading disc identification data from a memory storage device, wherein the disc identification data identifies discs contained in the disc player. In another embodiment of the present invention, identifying discs contained in the disc player includes reading audio data from the discs, and using the audio data to construct identifiers for the discs. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, identifying discs contained in the disc player includes reading identification labels from discs in the disc player.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the receiving of the track identification data from the track sequencer includes receiving a random sequence of tracks from the track sequencer. In another embodiment, it includes receiving a pre-specified sequence of tracks from the memory storage device. In yet another embodiment, it includes receiving tracks in sequential order from the track sequencer.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the method includes assigning a label to a disc in the disc player by reading audio data from the disc and using the audio data to construct an identifier for the disc. This identifier is associated with a label for the disc received from a system user.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the method includes prompting a user to insert a disc into the disc player if the track identification information from the track sequencer specifies a track from the disc and the disc is missing from the disc player.
In one embodiment of the present invention the method operates on an audio compact disc player. In another embodiment, the method operated on a digital video disc (DVD) player. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the method operated on an audio cassette player. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the method operates on a computer system including a disc player. In another embodiment, the method operates on an audio system including a disc player.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method of storing tracks from a disc to be skipped. The method includes receiving track identification data for tracks to be skipped, and determining identification data for discs that contain the tracks to be skipped. The method then stores both the track identification data and the disc identification data in a memory storage device.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method for playing a track from a disc in a disc player. This method includes receiving an input specifying a specific track from a specific disc to be played. The method reads identification information from discs in the disc player, and determines from the identification information if the specific disc is contained in the disc player. The method plays the specific track if the specific disc is contained in the disc player.